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PERCENTAGES

78YEARS

The Improving Mathematics Education in Schools (TIMES) Project NUMBER AND ALGEBRA Module 20

A guide for teachers - Years 7–8 June 2011

Percentages

(Number and Algebra : Module 20)

For teachers of Primary and Secondary Mathematics

510

Cover design, Layout design and Typesetting by Claire Ho

The Improving Mathematics Education in Schools (TIMES)

Project 2009‑2011 was funded by the Australian Government

Department of Education, Employment and Workplace

Relations.

The views expressed here are those of the author and do not

necessarily represent the views of the Australian Government

Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

© The University of Melbourne on behalf of the International

Centre of Excellence for Education in Mathematics (ICE‑EM),

the education division of the Australian Mathematical Sciences

Institute (AMSI), 2010 (except where otherwise indicated). This

work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution‑

NonCommercial‑NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. 2011.

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by‑nc‑nd/3.0/

Peter Brown

Michael Evans

David Hunt

Janine McIntosh

Bill Pender

Jacqui Ramagge

PERCENTAGES

78YEARS

The Improving Mathematics Education in Schools (TIMES) Project NUMBER AND ALGEBRA Module 20

A guide for teachers - Years 7–8 June 2011

PERCENTAGES

{4} A guide for teachers

ASSUMED KNOWLEDGE

• Fluency with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of whole numbers and

fractions.

• Some experience with percentages and decimals.

MOTIVATION

Percentages are a way of writing numbers with denominator 100. For example,

15 =

20100 = 20%,

65 =

120100 = 120% and

13 =

3313

100 = 3313 %.

Percentages are used widely and in many different areas. For example, discounts in

shops, bank interest rates, rates of inflation and many statistics in the media are expressed

as percentages. Percentages are important for understanding the financial aspects of

everyday life.

Much of what we buy in the shops has a 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST) included in

the price. The GST is a tax of one dollar for each ten dollars in the price of the item.

Percentages are a useful way of comparing fractions with different denominators.

Percentages give information which is often easier to understand than fractions. For

example a statement such as ‘1017 of a popluation have brown hair’ is quite difficult

to interpret, while the statement ‘60% of a population have brown hair’ is easier to

understand (1017 59%).

CONTENT

The symbol for percent is % and its similarity to /100 reminds us of its meaning.

Percentage is another way to write fractions with a denominator of 100. For example,

8% means 8100.

Thus, 25% = 25100 99% = 99

100 150% = 150100.

To understand percentages, we need only remember that percent means ‘out of one hundred’.

A square that has been cut into 100 smaller squares can be used to model percentages.

{5}The Improving Mathematics Education in Schools (TIMES) Project

If we colour any three of them, we say that ‘3 out

of a hundred’ or ‘3 percent’ are coloured in.

We can write 3100 = 3%.

If we colour 50 of them, we say that ‘50 out

of a hundred’ or ‘50 percent’ are coloured in.

We can write 50100 = 50%. This is equivalent to 1

2 .

WRITING PERCENTAGES AS FRACTIONS AND DECIMALS

Percentages are fractions with a denominator of 100. To convert a percentage to its

fraction equivalent, we begin by writing it with a denominator of 100. We can then simplify.

When the number is a whole number we just need to write it as fraction and simplify.

For example,

65% = 65100 = 13

20 150% = 150100 = 1 1

2 .

We can write these percentages as decimals by writing them as fractions with a

denominator of 100 and converting to a decimal. For example,

65% = 65100 = 0.65 150% = 150

100 = 1.5.

When we are not dealing with percentages where the number is not a whole number we

need to calculate an ‘equivalent fraction’.

For example, 45 12 % = 45

12

100 = 91200

To write a percentage as a decimal, we divide by 100. For example,

62.5% = 62.5100 = 0.625


EXAMPLE

Write each percentage as a fraction

a 32 45 % b 5 1

7 %

SOLUTION

a 32 45 % = 164

5%

= 1645 × 1

100

= 164500

= 41125

b 5 17 % = 36

7%

= 36700

= 9175

EXERCISE 1

Write each percentage as a fraction

a 98% b 56 15 %

WRITING FRACTIONS AND DECIMALS AS PERCENTAGES

Fractions with a denominator of 100 are easily written as percentages.

For example,

33100 = 33% 175

100 = 175%.

To write a fraction as a percentage, first see if it is possible to find an equivalent fraction

with denominator of 100.

For example,

35 = 60

100 = 60% 32 = 150

100 = 150%.

When a fraction does not have an equivalent fraction with a denominator of 100,

multiply the fraction by 100%. This does not change the fraction as 100% = 100100 = 1.

For example, 16 = 1

6 × 100% = 16 23 %.

EXAMPLE

Write 27 as a percentage.

SOLUTION27 × 100% = 200

7 % = 28 47 %


EXERCISE 2

Write each of the following as percentage:

a 29 b 2

11 c 2190 d 20

91

Similarly, to write a decimal as a percentage multiply by 100%.

0.6 = 0.6 × 100% = 60%

3.2 = 3.2 × 100% = 320%

Here are some commonly used percentages and their fraction equivalents.

It can be quite useful for students to know the following:

0 = 0% 1 = 100% 12 = 50% 1

4 = 25%

34 = 75% 1

5 = 20%25 = 40%

35 = 60%

45 = 80% 1

8 = 12.5% 38 = 37.5% 5

8 = 62.5%

78 = 87.5% 1

3 = 33 13 % 2

3 = 66 23 %

EXPRESSING ONE QUANTITY AS A PERCENTAGE OF ANOTHER

Sometimes we want to describe one quantity as a percentage of another.

EXAMPLE

There are 50 people in a swimming club, and 35 go to squad training on one occassion.

Calculate the number of people who go to squad training as a percentage of the number

of swimming club members.

SOLUTION

35 of the 50 go to squad training.

Percentage in squad = 3550 × 100%

= 3550 × 100

1 %

= 70%

So, 70% of the swimming club members go to squad training.


EXAMPLE

Express 55 as a percentage of 120.

SOLUTION 55120 × 100% = 275

6 %

= 4556 %

Therefore 55120 = 45

56 %

PERCENTAGE OF A QUANTITY

We often use percentages in the following way.

EXAMPLE

25% of people in a city watched the tennis grand final. Calculate how many people

watched the tennis grand final if

The population of the city is 3 000 000

SOLUTION

Number of people watching = 25% of 3 000 000

= 25100 × 3 000 000

1

= 750 000

THE UNITARY METHOD

The unitary method has been discussed in the module, The Unitary Method.

Many percentage calculations can be carried out using this method.

The most common units used are 10% = 110 or 1% = 1

100.


EXAMPLE

Find a 70% of 3000 b 7% of 3000

SOLUTION

a 100% of 3000 is 3000

÷ 10 10% of 3000 is 300

× 7 70% of 3000 is 2100

b 100% of 3000 is 3000

÷ 100 1% of 3000 = 30

× 7 7 7% of 3000 = 210

EXERCISE 3

a Use the unitary method to find 30% of $14 000

b Use the unitary method to find 45% of $52 000

COMPARING QUANTITIES

Percentages are often used to compare ratios (fractions) by expressing them as

percentages. For example in two tests a student receives 72 out of 85 and 37 out 45.

Expressing these results as percentages gives 84.7% and 82.2%, where the percentages

are given correct to one decimal place. Hence the first result is better.

EXAMPLE

Two bakeries called Browie and Best Bake both bake bread. On a particular day, 27 out

of 40 loaves in Browie Bakery were baked on the previous day. At the Best Bake Bakery

57 out of 90 loaves were baked the previous day. Which bakery was selling the larger

percentage of loaves baked the previous day?

SOLUTION

The percentage of loaves baked on the previous day for the Browie Bakery is:

2740 × 100% = 2700

40 %

= 1352 %

= 6712 %


The percentage of loaves baked on the previous day for the Best Bake Bakery is:

5790 × 100% = 5700

90 %

= 5709 %

= 63 13 %

The Browie Bakery had the greater percentage of loaves baked a day earlier.

EXERCISE 4

A student scores 1824 in one test and 34

48 in a second test. Express each score as a

percentage and hence state the better score.

THE UNITARY METHOD IN REVERSE

The unitary method can be used to find 100% of an amount given a percentage of that

amount. For example, if 10% of an amount of money is $23, then 100% is 10 × $23 = $230.

EXAMPLE

8% of an amount of money is $6000. What is the amount of money?

SOLUTION

8% of the amount is $6000

÷8 1% of the amount is $750

×100 100 % of the amount is $75 000

The amount of money is $75 000

EXAMPLE

A population of ants increases by 20% in a week and the new population is 125 508.

What was the population at the beginning of the week?

SOLUTION

120% of the original population is 125 508

÷6 20% of the original population is 20 918

×5 100% of the original population is 104 590

The population at the beginning of the week was 104 590


EXERCISE 5

In the following use the unitary method.

a Forty percent of an amount of money is $56 000. Find the amount of money.

b Julie receives $3600 in interest from a term deposit for a year which pays

6% per annum. How much did Julie invest?

SUMS AND DIFFERENCES OF PERCENTAGES

Percentages can sometimes be added and subtracted. In practical applications it is

important that you are adding or subtracting percentages of the same quantity.

EXAMPLE

60% percent of people on a large railway platform are reading a newspaper and

24% are reading a novel. The other people on the platform are not reading.

What is the percentage of people on the platform who are

a reading? b not reading?

SOLUTION

a Percentage of people reading = 60% + 24% = 84%

84% of people on the platform are reading

b Percentage of people not reading = 100% – 84% = 16%

16% of people on the platform are not reading

In the module, Sets and Venn Diagrams examples such as 60% of people on a

beach are reading and 70% of the people on the beach are wearing sun glasses

and 20% are neither reading nor wearing sunglasses. What is the percentage of

people both reading and wearing sun glasses?’

EXERCISE 6

Eighty percent of people in a bus are reading a newspaper. Fifteen percent are reading a

novel. A person cannot be reading both.

a What is the percentage of the people in the bus who are either reading a newspaper

or a novel?

b What is the percentage of the people in the bus who are neither reading a newspaper

nor a novel?


MULTIPLICATION OF PERCENTAGES

Multiplication of percentages arises from situations such as 55 % of class are boys and 30%

of them have blue eyes. The percentage of students in the class who are boys with blue

eyes is given by

30% of 55% = 30100 × 55

100 = 16.5%

EXAMPLE

There are 65 000 spectators in a football stadium. 56% of the spectators barrack for the

Reds. 80% of the Reds fans are male.

a Find the percentage of spectators who are male Reds supporters?

b Find the number of male Reds spectators in the stadium.

SOLUTION

a The percentage of spectators who are male Reds supporters = 80% of 56%

= 80100 × 56

100

= 45 × 14

25

= 56125

The fraction can be converted to a percentage by multiplying by 100%

56125 = 56

125 × 100%

= 56 × 45 %

= 44. 8%

b 44. 8% of 65 000 = 224500 × 65 000

= 29 120

EXERCISE 7

Sixty percent of a group of people work full time. Fifteen percent of those who work full

time are married. What is the percentage of people of the group who are married and

work full time.

PERCENTAGE INCREASE AND DECREASE

Percentage increase and decrease are discussed in the module, Consumer Arithmetic.


COMPARING PERCENTAGE CHANGE

Percentages are not only used to express change but also give us the ability

to compare change.

EXAMPLE

An island has two types of rats on it.

On January 1st 2005 there were 670 Creepy rats and on January 1st 2006 the number of

these rats had increased to 1260.

On January 1st 2005 there were 230 Slinky rats and on January 1st 2006 the number of

these rats had increased to 659.

Find the percentage increase of the number of each type of rat.

SOLUTION

Creepy rats increase by 1260 – 670 = 590

Percentage increase = 590670 × 100%

= 59 000670 %

= 88 467%

88.06%

Slinky rats increase by 659 – 230 = 429

Percentage increase = 429230 × 100%

= 186 1223%

186.52%

EXERCISE 8

City A has a population of 989 000 on January 1 2006 and a population of 1 078 000 on

January 1 2008.

City B has a population of 456 000 on January 1 2006 and a population of 501 000 on

January 1 2008.

Find the percentage change for each of the cities and hence state which city has the

fasting growing population for the period.


LINKS FORWARD

The discussion of percentages continues in the module, Consumer Arithmetic and also

the module, Rates and Ratios.

HISTORY

Long before decimals were used the need to work with tenths, twentieths and hundredths

was evident. Roman taxes were calculated on the basis of these types of fractions. For

example Emperor Augustus (63 BC ‑ 19 AD) levied a tax of 1% on goods sold at auction

and a tax of 4% on every slave sold. The Romans did not use this notation but certainly

employed the concept that we use today.

The concept of percentages has been used since ancient times, but the use of the % sign,

is quite recent and its exact history uncertain.

ANSWERS TO EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1

a 4950 b 281

5

EXERCISE 2

a 2229 % b 18 2

11 % c 2313 % d 2189

91 %

EXERCISE 3

a $4200 b $23 400

EXERCISE 41824 = 75% and 34

48 = 70 56 %

Therefore 1824 is the higher score.

EXERCISE 5

a $140 000 b $600 000

EXERCISE 6

a 95% b 5%

EXERCISE 7

9%

EXERCISE 8

City A: percentage change 9.0%

City B: percentage change 9.8%

The aim of the International Centre of Excellence for

Education in Mathematics (ICE‑EM) is to strengthen

education in the mathematical sciences at all levels‑

from school to advanced research and contemporary

applications in industry and commerce.

ICE‑EM is the education division of the Australian

Mathematical Sciences Institute, a consortium of

27 university mathematics departments, CSIRO

Mathematical and Information Sciences, the Australian

Bureau of Statistics, the Australian Mathematical Society

and the Australian Mathematics Trust.

www.amsi.org.au

The ICE‑EM modules are part of The Improving

Mathematics Education in Schools (TIMES) Project.

The modules are organised under the strand

titles of the Australian Curriculum:

• Number and Algebra

• Measurement and Geometry

• Statistics and Probability

The modules are written for teachers. Each module

contains a discussion of a component of the

mathematics curriculum up to the end of Year 10.

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